Community Issues

Mar 25, 2013
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CNN: California Attorney General Harris Talks About Her Childhood and Being Referred to As a “Female Barrack Obama”

posted by Gracie Zheng

In a recent interview in CNN’s State of the Union, host Candy Crowley chatted with California Attorney General Kamala Harris on her personal life growing in a multi-ethnic family and her career path as California’s top cop.

Kamala Harris, who was raised by an African-American father and an Indian mother, is the first woman, the first African American, and the first South Asian Attorney General in California.

“Was there a time you struggled with identity issues growing up?” asked Crowley.

“Not once,” Harris said. “I was raised by parents and community that was very active in civil rights movement.

“My sister and I joke that we grew up surrounded by adults who spend full time marching and shouting about this thing called ‘justice’”, she continued.

Harris is sometimes referred to as a “female Barack Obama”. She said she is a huge fan of the President.

“I am humbled by that comparison,” she said. “There is a lot work to be done and there are a lot of us here who hold the elected offices, who have similar experiences to our President in terms of our background.”

Harris also talked about how she chose to become a prosecutor for her entire professional life. Right after she graduated from law school, she began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, specializing in prosecuting child sexual assault cases

“The reason I became a prosecutor is primarily because I wanted to do the work that’s about being the voice for the vulnerable and the voiceless. That’s the work you do as a prosecutor, reminding everyone that not only it’s about protecting the vulnerable but also making sure that wrong-doers face consequences and accountability,” she said.

Harris mentioned the significant influence from her mother and growing up with her younger sister Maya Harris, who is the vice president of Ford Foundation. She remembered what her mother would always say, “You may be the first to do many things, but make sure you’re not the last.”

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